2

The Monster Under Your Bed is Real

Fear isn't so difficult to understand. After all, weren't we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It's just a different wolf. This fright complex is rooted in every individual.

-Alfred Hitchcock

As a young child Marinette had once feared the monster lurking under her bed, or in some instances her closet. She tried to be brave when her mother or father would turn off the light as they put her to bed, tried to not think about it when they closed the door and left her alone. But darkness, even darkness dimmed by a child's night light, sent shivers down her body. The fear that something might be there, lurking in the shadows, crept uninvited into her mind and made her hide her face in her blanket every time the floor creaked beneath her. She would occasionally turn on the light and crawl down to look and feel relieved when there was nothing there. But her fear would instantly return when the lights were out again, as she knew that somehow, some way it was back below the bed again.

Occasional nightmares came and went. She would run to her parents and cry, asking to sleep in their bed. The first few times they allowed this request, but eventually her father Tom would take her back to her room, turn on the lights, and show her the empty closet and space underneath her bed. Slowly and patiently he used his adult logic to settle her unease.

"There's nothing there Mari," he explained as he patted her head, "no monster is here, and no monster will ever be here. The dark and the noises just play tricks on you. You may not be able to see under your bed when it's dark, but that doesn't mean something is there. Trust your Papa on this one."

Marinette would nod and then hug her dad before going back to bed, repeating her dad's reasoning in her head. Slowly the nights became easier to manage and the nightmares began to fade. As she got older, her fears subsided until they disappeared completely. Occasionally as she went to bed, she would remember that old fear and laugh at her own silliness. And now that she was Ladybug and regularly battled akumas and Hawk Moth, the memories of her childish terror had almost disappeared entirely.

But as Chat pulled her along the Parisian rooftops with their miraculouses critically low on time, the familiar feeling of childhood terror returned to her with perfect clarity. What they had faced in that café was a real monster. Akumas were merely corrupted humans whose negative emotions had been exploited. Hawk Moth and Mayura were dangerous, but they were just humans hiding behind the power of their abused miraculouses. She could handle those enemies. They were normal, just part of her job.

Today was different. That grotesque and hellish creature hiding behind fake human skin was undoubtedly a monster. A monster whose voice and impossible actions had chilled her to the bone. A monster that truly was out to get her and had said so to her face. A monster who had not so subtly suggested that he planned on eating both her and Chat. A monster that checked off all the boxes of traits that would have terrified Marinette's child self. Even worse, the monster was far more horrifying than her younger self could have possibly imagined. The now older, present day Marinette found herself wanting the protection of the blanket again.

These thoughts kept her from resisting Chat's guidance as he pulled her along, refusing to let go of her hand. He scanned the rooftops around them like a hunted animal, his senses working in overdrive to make sure his eyes and ears were alert to the slightest sound and movement. He briefly glanced back to check on her and then plowed on straight ahead.

Ladybug's miraculous beeped urgently, letting her know that she was well under a minute left from transforming back. She barely registered the noise. Ordinarily she would have broken out of Chat's grasp and rushed off to a private spot to change back, but her nearly paralyzed mind appeared to refuse to let her let go of her partner's protective hand. A hand that pulled her with greater urgency as his last miraculous warning went off as well.

They hopped to another building and Chat looked down and pointed. "There!" he cried.

Ladybug looked down to see an urban garden in a gap between two buildings. Flowers, produce, and other plants filled the entire area. Some of those plants were tall enough in places to reach the height of the wooden fence surrounding the enclosure. Chat extended his baton to the ground and held Ladybug by the waist as he slowly retracted his weapon and carried her down. He found a spot for her on one side of a rock wall and jumped to the other side.

He stayed on the ground on all fours, scanning the area for any possible ambush. Satisfied, he took a deep breath, "Okay you can transform there, I'll go-"

A burst of light came over the other side of wall as Ladybug's transformation gave way. Chat's body tensed as the knowledge that his partner's exposed identity was on the other side sunk in. He pursed his lips, trying to push away the thought.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, I guess I'll go into the next alley and-"

"DON'T LEAVE ME!" a voice behind him shouted loud enough to send a shock down Chat's spine.

On the other side of the wall, Marinette Dupain-Cheng clutched her knees close to her chest and held her kwami in her hands. Tikki seemed exhausted and barely able to open her eyes, but her little body was trembling violently. When Tikki did fully look up at her, the absolute dread etched on the little red creature's face made Marinette tremble as well.

She could not hide the urgency in her voice as she spoke to Chat again. "Please…just stay here for a bit. I-I don't want you to leave yet."

The shakiness in his lady's voice momentarily surprised him. But her words and the sense of desperation behind them set off a strong mental voice inside him that cried out protect protect protect.

"I'll stay as long as you need," he replied

He released his transformation without hesitation and leaned against the wall. Plagg fell in his hands, his tiny black body shivering even though the August heat was bearing down on them. Adrien looked down on him in alarm.

"Plagg?" he asked, his voice full of anxiety.

"No…no," his kwami said weakly as his yellow eyes lit up with horror, "he can't be back… it's not possible!"

"Who can't be back?" Adrien demanded.

Plagg swallowed hard before answering. "Shouwang."

"Shouwang?" Adrien repeated as he felt his blood ran cold.

"Tikki? Tikki?" Marinette asked from the other side. "Why are you looking at me like that? What's going on? Who is this Shouwang?"

There was an exceptionally long pause before Tikki replied. "You two are in grave danger. We need to contact Master Fu…immediately."

Adrien handed his kwami a small piece of camembert, which Plagg held close to his mouth. Instead of immediately swallowing it, he nibbled on it, trying to savor it and let it mentally carry him elsewhere. "Don't think about it…. don't think about it…just focus on the cheese."

Adrien gently touched the top of the black cat's head and stared at him intently. "Plagg, tell us. Who is Shouwang?

"An enemy, no, the enemy of Ladybug and Chat Noir," he answered cautiously, "And I don't mean just you two. I mean the past users as well."

"The past users?" Adrien repeated. "You mean to tell me this monster has faced the previous owners of our miraculouses? Why didn't you tell us?!"

Plagg groaned and looked away, his body shivering again. "We thought we got rid of him last time."

"Last time?" Marinette asked as she overhead their conversation. "What happened last time?"

Tikki slowly sat up and then levitated toward her chosen. Her expression was pained as she gingerly touched Marinette's face. "We've said too much already. Master Fu will explain everything. Plagg and I…we'd rather not go into further detail."

The red kwami didn't speak further but held onto her human's face with both of her tiny hands. Marinette instinctively responded in kind, holding Tikki against her cheek as she tried to steady her breathing. For almost a minute she remained deathly silent.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked. "Are you…going to be okay?"

A long ten seconds passed before he got a reply. "I-I need a minute. Please don't leave yet, okay?"

He nodded. "Of course."

Plagg disappeared into his shirt, quietly finishing his cheese and refusing to communicate further. Adrien stared up at the fading afternoon light filtering through the bushes in front of him and wiped the sweat of his brow. He closed his eyes and sighed, tapping his fingers against his right knee. A long moment of silence continued on the other side of him, and his face soured in response.

She had asked, no…demanded, that he stay with her. But at the same time, he felt so far away. Seeing Ladybug afraid was quite rare, but Adrien sensed unmistakable fear in her voice. She needed someone to reassure her, to physically hold her and try to comfort her. But that wasn't possible if they were to keep their identities hidden from one another, something Ladybug had insisted on time and time again. He could offer her some words of encouragement, but he reasoned that it would not be as nearly as effective as holding her close to him.

Adrien wrung his hands together in frustration, attempting to think of a solution. He looked down at the rock wall and noticed a gap in the stones at the bottom. Interest piqued, he crouched down and examined the opening. It was somewhat small, but he could clearly see out the other side. Cautiously he reached his right hand forward and tested the opening to see if his hand could get through. A smile crossed his lips when he managed to pull his hand back without getting stuck.

"Ladybug," he said as he adjusted his position and reached his hand through again. He tapped the ground on her side to get her attention.

Marinette looked down in surprise to see a bare hand, the bare hand of her partner, reaching out to her from a gap in the other side. His fingers were curled slightly, inviting her to come closer.

"My lady," the voice on the other side said, "I wish I could be there for you right now. I know I can't, and I respect that. But please know I'm not going anywhere, and no matter what this Shouwang tries to do, I won't leave your side."

Adrien continued holding his hand out, waiting. For a moment he feared it would be rejected. Then a minor jolt followed by a deep feeling of warmth overcame him as a bare hand, the bare hand of his lady, embraced his. His eyes widened as the realization sunk in. He mentally told his heart to stop beating so fast. It ignored him.

"Thank you minou," Marinette said with a smile, "I'm sorry for yelling. This whole thing, it's just-"

"No apologies are necessary," Adrien assured her.

Marinette took a deep cleansing breath and then stared down at her partner's hand, running her thumb along the space between his thumb and index finger. She raised an eyebrow as she felt the smoothness of his skin.

That's odd, she thought, I didn't think Chat of all people would have such soft and delicate skin. What kind of moisturizer is he using?

She gingerly rotated his hand slightly to look at his fingers. And his nails are so…clean and polished. Has he been getting a manicure? Seriously Chat, how is it that you have such a gorgeous looking ha-?

"So, I assume you're going to contact Master Fu?"

Marinette blinked absently for a moment and then stammered. "Uh…uh yeah. I will. Do that. As soon as possible…Um…why don't you and I meet at the top of Notre-Dame around 20:00? I should have more answers for you then."

"Sounds like a plan," he replied as he leaned against the rock wall. He delicately tapped his fingers against the back of her hand and smiled. "Maybe it's not as bad as we think. After all, if Bunnyx has come to help, we have an advantage, right?"

"Yeah, she's probably got it under control. At least for now."

But for how long? Marinette wondered as the mental images of Shouwang in the café came back with renewed vigor. A shudder went down her spine as she unwillingly recalled his sickening neck rotation and appalling grin. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip on Chat's hand.

"My lady, are you okay over there?" Adrien asked, feeling the squeeze.

"No Chat, I'm not," Marinette answered, her voice shaky again. "I don't think I've ever been this scared in my life."

Adrien turned his head toward the wall to face in her direction. His hand touched the stone. "You and me both. When he got close to me, I froze in sheer terror. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. If you hadn't pulled me back, I could have-"

"Don't finish that thought. The important thing is that it didn't happen."

"And I have you to thank for that. So…thank you."

Marinette placed her other hand on top of his. "You're my partner Chat. And my friend. Of course I wasn't going to leave you at the mercy of that monster."

Adrien leaned his head against the stone, a tremor moving through his body as he relived the memory. A lump began to form in his throat, but it faded as the warmth of her additional hand coursed through him. He exhaled in relief. "Thank you," he said again.

Marinette touched the wall, delicately tracing her fingers over the stone. "No, thank you for staying. I'm going to leave in a little bit, but I will see you at Notre-Dame. In the meantime, please…stay safe."

He smirked and opened his mouth, tempted to make some wisecrack remark about how his lady was worried about him. At the last moment he bit his tongue. Not the time Agreste, he chided himself.

"I'll be careful," he assured her.

He said nothing as Ladybug's hands gradually separated from his. He listened to her stand up and walk away toward the entrance of the garden. Adrien stayed behind, making sure to give her at least a two-minute head start before moving. He pulled his hand out of the gap and looked at it a moment.

The heat of her touch was still there. He could feel it and he didn't want it to leave him. It was not the first time he had held her hand, but it was the first time he had done so completely unmasked. He couldn't see her face but touching her hand without the suit still made his stomach flutter. It was far more personal than holding her hand as Chat and Ladybug. Far more intimate.

If only it had happened under better circumstances, he thought.

Ψ

Chat Noir arrived at Notre-Dame just as the last glimmering of fading sunlight began to disappear over the horizon. He landed on the scaffolding behind the North Tower and tried to stay in the shadows. Seeing that Ladybug hadn't shown up yet, Chat twirled his baton absentmindedly and looked down at the nave of the church. He grimaced. The rebuilding process from the devastating fire was well under way, but much of the collapsed roof still had to be covered to protect the exposed church interior from the elements.

Sighing, he glanced around. The evidence of the conflagration was all around him. Many of the balustrades and buttresses had been blackened by the flames. Statues of saints and gargoyles alike were coated in soot, giving them a hellish appearance. The transept had been ravaged. The heat had been so intense that even some of the exterior north and south facades had been darkened. Chat walked cautiously along the scaffolding, tail hanging low as he looked up at the spire. Or, more accurately, at the area where the spire had been not too long ago.

We should have gotten here faster, Chat told himself.

The memories of that day slowly played back in his head. Adrien Agreste had a photo shoot that late afternoon at the Jardin des Champs-Élysées. As it was wrapping up, large clouds of smoke started to appear from the direction of the river. Despite his best efforts to find an excuse to disappear and transform, Nathalie had forced him to go home with the Gorilla. By the time he escaped through his bedroom window and had sprinted towards the church, people were already gathering at the banks of the Seine. Their faces were awash with dread. Parisians, both young and old, covered their mouths as the fate of their beloved cathedral hung in the balance.

He crossed over to Île de la Cité just as Ladybug arrived from the other direction. At first, the crowds cheered with renewed hope and clamored for their heroes to save Notre-Dame. Their joy was short-lived. As soon as Paris' champions reached the army of firefighters, the torched main spire slowly bent before collapsing entirely. Chat heard cries of horror coming from both sides of the riverbank. Ladybug's face turned ashen as one of the firemen explained that an akuma was not believed to be involved. It took a moment for him to realize why that was a bad thing.

Miraculous Ladybug won't be able to undo the damage, he thought. The sudden epiphany made him feel nauseous.

"CHAT HURRY!" Ladybug cried in alarm as she threw her yo-yo in the direction of the blaze. "We need to save her! We need to save her now!"

The next half hour was a blur. Chat took one of the fire hoses and used his extended baton to get as close to the fire as possible. Even with the protection of his suit, the heat from the raging inferno in front of him nearly seared his skin. His eyes burned as he tried to dump as much water as he could onto the flames that were devouring the roof. But at that point, it was a nearly lost cause. The oak timbers holding up the medieval Gothic structure had turned the nave into a bonfire, and as soon as Chat seemed to have one area under control, another would threaten to cave the roof in even further. Then the wind shifted, and black acrid smoke started to fill his lungs. He held out for as long as he could, but eventually the need for clean air forced him to retreat to the ring of firefighters.

Ladybug wasn't far behind. She had manned a deluge gun on a raised firefighting platform on the opposite side of the church, using the protection of her suit to get closer than a firefighter would normally dare. She had even gone inside to help rescue a few priceless relics. But her lungs were just as vulnerable as Chat's, and soon enough they were both a coughing, wheezing mess. Despite their protests, medics at the scene forced the duo to put on oxygen masks and recover while the firefighters continued the fight without them. In the end, those brave men and women were the ones who saved Notre-Dame from total ruin. Paris' intrepid heroes could do little but watch while the cleansing air from their masks slowly removed the smoke from their gasping lungs.

"If I had been at home at the time, I could have stopped it," a voice behind him said.

Chat, having been lost in thought, hadn't heard his partner approach him. Caught off guard by the sudden voice, he tensed and whirled around with his baton at the ready.

"Whoa, whoa!" Ladybug said, holding her hands up, "it's just me. I…didn't mean to scare you."

Chat relaxed. "It's fine. I'm…paws-ibly a little jumpy today is all."

The bug themed superhero rolled her eyes. "You and me both minou."

She walked up next to him and surveyed the ravaged nave of the cathedral. Sighing, she closed her eyes and shook her head. Chat cautiously put a comforting paw on her shoulder.

"We did what we could," he tried to assure her.

"Not enough," she countered, "If I had been remembered to bring my fire potion to transform my kwami into Fire Tikki, it might have gone better."

"Well I had my fire power-up in my bag, but I totally forgot to use it to make Plaggferno. So, I think I messed up a lot worse than you," he admitted with a laugh.

Ladybug gave a slight chuckle but the mirth in her face quickly died. Noticing this, Chat awkwardly cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"Anyway, what did Master Fu say?"

If any playfulness remained in Ladybug's expression before, it was gone in that moment. A serious and uneasy one took its place. "He wants to meet us."

"When?"

"Now," she answered. "He's expecting us at his place."

"Did he seem," Chat paused before continuing, "worried when you talked to him?"

Ladybug averted eye contact with him for a moment. She fumbled with her yo-yo, passing it from hand to hand. She looked away, pretending to look at the fire damage to the cathedral.

"Ladybug?"

"Yes. He seemed very worried."

Chat swallowed nervously, trying to push down the growing lump in his throat. His fingers tapped against his baton in rapid succession. A chill went down his body as images of the monster in the café flooded back into his mind.

"Then we should get going," he said, attempting to ignore his rising heartbeat.

The two leaped up to the top of the north tower. Ladybug spun her yo-yo, ready to swing across the Seine. She scanned the buildings.

"Okay follow me, I know the…BUNNYX!"

"What? Where?!" Chat exclaimed.

"Down there!" Ladybug shouted, pointing to the right bank of the Seine.

From their elevated vantage point, the pair witnessed the rabbit-themed superhero slowly walking through an alleyway. One hand pressed against the wall for support, while the other clutched her side. She was dragging her parasol on the ground and was not moving fast.

"We'll have to put Master Fu on hold. She looks hurt!"

"Wait my lady!" Chat began, "We should be car-"

Before Chat could finish his sentence, Ladybug was already halfway there. Shaking his head, he took off after her. They passed over the dense foot traffic near the river and effortlessly landed in the alley. As soon as they drew close, Bunnyx forced a smile.

"Minibug…kitty," she greeted them weakly.

Her hold on the wall slipped and she fell, hitting the ground hard. Ladybug and Chat ran to her. As soon as they propped her up and got a better look at her, they both gasped. To say she looked like hell would have been an understatement. Her face was severely bruised, her left eye so bloodshot that she could barely see out of it. Her blue and white suit was torn in several places. The gashes that made those tears were deep and parallel to each other, as if they had been made by the claws of a wild, carnivorous animal. There were multiple teeth marks in her right ear, which was so damaged that it barely seemed to be attached to her head. Worst of all, several small punctures were placed across her body. A black, decaying aura surrounded these marks. Every time the destructive aura around them grew, Bunnyx opened her mouth to release a silent scream of pain.

"Mon Dieu! We need to get you to the hospital now!" Ladybug said as panic started to overtake her.

"Wouldn't…do any good," Bunnyx coughed. She motioned to the black bite marks. "This poison….it can't be fixed by any medicine."

Ladybug held her head in her hands. Her bottom lip trembled as she shakily replied, "L-L-Lucky Charm…Miraculous Ladybug could-"

"This is no akuma Minibug," Bunnyx replied. As her head turned to face Ladybug, she looked at her apologetically. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"What are you talking about? You just saved us, remember?"

"No minibug," she said, feebly shaking her head, "I've accidentally signed your death sentence."

Neither Chat nor Ladybug breathed for a moment. They stared at the future heroine in silence, their blood running cold with apprehension.

"What…do you mean?" Chat asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"In our battle, Timetagger and I really did a number on the time stream. We must have caused a tear in space time. One bad enough that Miraculous Ladybug couldn't fix it. And someone…or something must have slipped through that tear."

Bunnyx took a few moments to catch her breath before continuing. "In my time, I was getting ready for a wedding of two friends of mine when Fluff just started freaking out. And I mean, really freaking out. Something about an evil being manifesting from outside the confines of the time stream. I contacted your future selves for help, but when we met up to plan our next move…"

Her voice suddenly cut off as tears formed in her battered eyes. She closed them and whimpered. Ladybug took hold of Bunnyx's shoulders and asked in a trembling whisper, "What…happened?"

Bunnyx clenched her fists and stifled back a sob. "You both just faded. Just faded from existence right in front of me."

The two heroes stared at their wounded comrade, stunned and breathless. Ladybug bit her lip. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe normally again.

"F-Faded?" she asked, her voice noticeably quieter.

"Meaning we don't exist in the future anymore," Chat Noir said, his ears dropping in defeat, "we don't survive long enough to see it. That's it, isn't it?"

Bunnyx's breathing grew more strained as she gazed at the young heroes. Tears leaked from her eyes. "Forgive me. I had no idea that our battle would cause this. I had no idea this enemy even existed. I've failed you both."

The rabbit hero's head sank with exhaustion and shame. Ladybug held her head up with her hand on Bunnyx's cheek. Her eyes searched the future hero's downcast expression, desperately seeking a way out.

"Is there nothing…we can do?" she asked.

"I don't know," Bunnyx replied. "I followed this monster into the past, trying to delay him as long as I could. It's possible that following him might have-"

Her sentence cut short as a tremor of pain from the poison erupted across her body. Her pupils rolled towards the back of her eyes as the black aura from the bites metastasized, spreading the violent decay across her body. The heavy breathing from her chest became increasingly labored. Yet as Bunnyx slowly recovered from the abrupt convulsion, the look in her eyes was surprisingly gentle and warm. She feebly raised her right hand and brushed it against Ladybug's cheek.

"You've grown," she said, as her gaze passed from Ladybug to Chat Noir and back again, "you're a bit older."

Ladybug choked on her words for a moment and then slowly nodded. Gradually the icy weight on her tongue thawed and she answered, "It's been nearly a year and a half since we faced Timetagger with you."

Bunnyx's hand dropped back to her side. She leaned back, now completely dependent on the superhero pair to hold herself up. Despite her growing weakness, her face relaxed in an expression of relief.

"Then it wasn't for nothing," she said, her gaze focused on the night sky above, "I did delay him. It's not much, but if you've matured at all since we last saw each other, then you might have a chance. I…I didn't fail."

As Chat maintained his hold on Bunnyx's left shoulder, his ears twitched in sudden alarm. He looked down the alley in the direction of a manhole cover, which began to tremble slightly from a disturbance below. It was followed by a low rumbling sound and the unexpected, nauseating smell of rotten meat. The trio turned towards the noise, their bodies and minds instantly on high alert.

"We have company," Chat stated, reaching for his staff.

Bunnyx grabbed her parasol, her mouth curling in rage. "He's back."

At that moment, six large snakes appeared from the manhole cover and approached. They were as large as anacondas if not more so, but instead of a yellowish-green color, the snake's scales were as black as obsidian. Their mouths opened, revealing two dagger-like fangs that dripped a ghastly reddish liquid. As the heads slithered toward them, the smell of decomposing flesh grew more intense. Ladybug covered her nose and mouth to repress the urge to gag.

The multitude of snakes came within three meters of the heroes and then lunged without warning. All of them wrapped around Bunnyx's ankles with three to each leg. They started to pull her toward the sewer.

"Bunnyx!" the Parisian heroes cried at the same time.

Ladybug and Chat Noir grabbed the future heroine's wrists and heaved back. Despite the superior strength given by their miraculouses, the pair could do little to resist the pull. Their feet skidded on the pavement, trying desperately to keep the injured Bunnyx aware from the sewer entrance.

"No good," Chat said through clenched teeth, "they're too strong!"

"Keep trying!" Ladybug ordered.

"NO!" Bunnyx yelled, causing them both to stare at her in shock.

As she looked up at them, she smiled, appearing oddly tranquil as she drew closer to her subterranean tomb. "Let me go. You're not ready for this fight yet. I made this mess. Go. I'll give you as much time as I can."

Ladybug shook her head, seeming almost offended at the suggestion. "No! We can't leave you like this! You'll di-"

"I'm already a goner minibug," she reminded them. She tapped her parasol against the ground, and the pointed tip at the top of the umbrella transformed into a sharp, serrated blade. Her expression quickly became murderous. "I won't win, but I will make sure he feels pain before I go down."

The steeled look of resignation in Bunnyx's face pierced through Ladybug like a knife to the heart. Her throat suddenly became dry. Her eyes began to water as the reality of the situation sunk in. This wasn't just a fellow heroine; this was also her classmate. This was also her friend. A future version of her friend, but her friend nonetheless. One that she had known since before collège and had supported (or at least tolerated) her many ludicrous schemes to capture Adrien's heart. A friend whose boisterous, competitive, and foul-mouthed nature always brought a smile to Marinette's face. And now she was being asked to leave that friend to die.

"Alix," she said softly, her voice cracking as she choked back a sob.

"Go minibug," she ordered, her voice soft and subdued. "I need to do this. It's the only chance you have."

Chat Noir turned to Ladybug, looking for guidance. His grip on Bunnyx was slipping and his feline sense of danger erupted in his mind as they closed within ten meters of the sewer entrance. A single tear streamed down Ladybug's cheek as her face froze in indecision.

A hero never leaves someone in danger, she told herself, I know I'm out of my league here, but I can't just walk away…can I?

The snakes made the decision for her. Two of them uncoiled from Bunnyx's left leg and eyed Ladybug's left calf. Their mouths opened. For a split second, Chat stared at the movement in immediate horror. Before he had the chance to think, his reflexes made him drop Bunnyx's hand and tackle his partner to the side. As they hit the pavement, something like two scalding hot nails pierced his right thigh. A rush of liquid filled the area around the bites and instantly burned inside like a firebrand touching his skin. His body quaked in agony as he grabbed his leg and howled in pain.

Ladybug was up and at his side in an instant, only to find two scarlet-colored bite marks on Chat's thigh. His screams shook her to her very core. She trembled as her arms reached around him, helplessly watching him writhe as the poison coursed through him.

Bunnyx was immediately pulled toward the hole, but she had enough time to see Chat go down. Enough time to see Ladybug's panic-stricken face. Something boiled within Alix's subconscious, a tidal wave composed of both shock and rage. As she was dragged toward the mouth of the sewer, she aimed the parasol blade at the beast below.

"You're going to pay for that," she said lowly, her brows furrowed in white hot fury.

The snakes and Bunnyx disappeared together down the manhole entrance. Ladybug kept her hold on Chat, not daring to look in that direction. She closed her eyes and heard the rabbit heroine's enraged yelling and a growling noise from inside the sewer. The sounds of battle reverberated below and then gradually faded. The two superheroes were left alone in the alley as night descended on Paris.

Chat's screams gave way to sharp and strained breaths as the fiery venom spread and burned through his chest. Every part of him wanted to cry out, but his chest suddenly felt heavy and it was enough effort just to get oxygen into his lungs. His skin paled considerably, and Ladybug reached forward, touching the area around his mask. She gasped in horror. Even through her suit, she could feel the temperature in his skin rising exponentially. A vicious fever had grabbed hold of him. He looked at his lady, his agonized face pleading for help.

No, Marinette's mind said as the red marks around his thigh began to expand, no no no no….

"CHAT! Stay with me!" she commanded. She pulled him into an embrace. He shivered as he broke out into a cold sweat. "We're going to get you help."

Don't leave me, a voice inside her begged, growing increasingly desperate. I can't do this without you.

"Bunnyx…" Chat croaked as he leaned on her shoulder, "She said there's noth-"

"I don't care what she said!" Ladybug barked, cutting him off.

You're not allowed to die! her conscious mind shouted. The only way we stand a chance against this villain is together!

She gingerly stood up, supporting Chat on her shoulder. His legs trembled as he struggled to stay upright.

"Can you stand?" Ladybug asked.

Chat shook his head. She wrapped an arm tightly around him. He clutched his hands against her opposite shoulder. Beads of sickly sweat began to run down his face. A fit of coughing overtook him, triggering a fierce burning sensation in his chest. Paradoxically his body continued to shake as if he had been trapped in a freezer again. He looked up at Ladybug, trying to focus on her and not the poison that was setting his insides ablaze. But the image of her in his vision blurred and spun around as he became increasingly dizzy.

"Ladybug," he said, shutting his eyes. His grip on her shoulders tightened. "I'm…scared."

I know. I know you are. But scared doesn't even begin to describe me right now, she thought as her mind reeled. Internally Marinette was pushing against the sickening possibility that seemed ready to crush her at any moment. She tried to mentally wall herself off, to hold off the twisted shadows that would force her to see a future she could not accept. But despite her valiant attempt, the shadows did come, and she could see this nightmarish future in perfect clarity: a dead partner, a panicked city, a relentless enemy that she would have to face without him, and a brutal end within his ghastly jaws.

No. I can't…I won't accept that, she thought as she swung her yo-yo in the direction of Master Fu's residence.

"Hang on Chat!" she told him, desperation creeping into her voice. "You've never been one to give up before, so don't you dare start now!"

Paris still needs you, she thought to herself.

Her yo-yo caught on to Notre-Dame's North Tower and pulled them toward the Seine. Chat blanched and whimpered as his beleaguered body was subjected to Ladybug's chaotic and rapid swinging across the city. His feeble cries of pain made her eyes begin to water again. She bit her lip and tried not to hear it as she increased her pace.

I still need you.